Link without a name
WCAG 2.2 2.4.4 Link purpose (in context), Level A
8 occurrences, found on: Home page
- Why it matters for shoppers
- A screen reader announces “link” and nothing else, so the shopper cannot tell where it leads.
- Where it usually lives in a Shopify theme
- Icon links in the header (account, cart), social media icons in the footer, image-only links on product cards and collection tiles.
- Direction for a fix
- Add visually hidden text or an aria-label to icon links, for example “Cart” or “Instagram”. For an image link, give the image an alt text.
- Examples from the demo store
a.collection-card__imga.collection-card__overlay-link
Clickable element that is not a button or link
WCAG 2.2 4.1.2 Name, role, value, Level A
1 occurrence, found on: Collection page
- Why it matters for shoppers
- A div or span with a click handler cannot be reached with the Tab key and is not announced as clickable.
- Where it usually lives in a Shopify theme
- Custom colour swatches, accordions, tabs and quick view triggers built from div or span elements.
- Direction for a fix
- Use a button element for actions and a link for navigation.
- Examples from the demo store
div.mobile-facets__header-icon
The same id is used more than once
WCAG 2.2 4.1.2 Name, role, value, Level A
84 occurrences, found on: Home page, Collection page, Product page, Cart page
- Why it matters for shoppers
- Labels, error messages and aria references can point at the wrong element, so a field or control may lose its name.
- Where it usually lives in a Shopify theme
- Sections rendered twice on one page, such as desktop and mobile headers, cart drawer and cart page, or country and language selectors in both header and footer.
- Direction for a fix
- Make generated ids unique, for example by adding the section id to them.
- Examples from the demo store
"search-input-header", 2×"QuickAdd-14723879207275", 2×"ModalClose-14723879207275", 2×
aria-labelledby or aria-describedby points to a missing element
WCAG 2.2 4.1.2 Name, role, value, Level A
73 occurrences, found on: Home page, Collection page, Product page, Cart page
- Why it matters for shoppers
- The element was meant to take its name or description from another element that is not on the page, so the screen reader has nothing to read.
- Where it usually lives in a Shopify theme
- Product cards that point at sale or sold-out badges which are only rendered in some cases, form error messages, dialogs.
- Direction for a fix
- Output the reference only when the target element is rendered, or always render the target.
- Examples from the demo store
aria-labelledby → "title-template--24890092126571__product_slider_eJa7p6-14723879895403"aria-labelledby → "title-template--24890092126571__product_slider_eJa7p6-14723879207275"aria-labelledby → "title-template--24890092126571__product_slider_eJa7p6-14723876028779"
Heading levels skip a step
WCAG 2.2 1.3.1 Info and relationships, Level A
57 occurrences, found on: Home page, Collection page, Product page, Cart page
- Why it matters for shoppers
- People who move through a page by headings expect the levels to nest. A jump from h2 to h4 suggests a missing part.
- Where it usually lives in a Shopify theme
- Section headings, product card titles and footer column headings, where the level is chosen for its font size.
- Direction for a fix
- Choose heading levels from the structure of the page and set the size with a class.
- Examples from the demo store
Page without an h1 heading
WCAG 2.2 1.3.1 Info and relationships, Level A
1 occurrence, found on: Product page
- Why it matters for shoppers
- Screen reader users often jump to the first-level heading to learn what a page is about.
- Where it usually lives in a Shopify theme
- The main title of a template: collection banner, product title in the main product section, cart title. Some templates style the title as a heading without using an h1.
- Direction for a fix
- Render the main title of every template as one h1.
Icon without a text alternative or a decorative mark
WCAG 2.2 1.1.1 Non-text content, Level A
51 occurrences, found on: Home page, Collection page, Product page, Cart page
- Why it matters for shoppers
- If the icon carries meaning, such as a payment method or “free shipping”, a screen reader user misses it. If it is decoration, it should be hidden from screen readers.
- Where it usually lives in a Shopify theme
- Icon snippets, payment icons in the footer, trust and feature icons.
- Direction for a fix
- Hide decorative icons with aria-hidden="true". Give meaningful icons role="img" and an aria-label or a title element.
- What the test can see
- The test cannot tell a decorative icon from a meaningful one, so each of these needs a quick look.
- Examples from the demo store
svg.iconsvgsvg.icon-express-shipping
More than one h1 heading on the page
WCAG 2.2 1.3.1 Info and relationships, Level A
1 occurrence, found on: Home page
- Why it matters for shoppers
- With two or more first-level headings it is harder to tell which one names the page.
- Where it usually lives in a Shopify theme
- A logo wrapped in an h1 on every page, or section headings that can be set to h1 in the theme editor.
- Direction for a fix
- Keep h1 for the main title of the page. Wrap the logo in an h1 only on the home page and let sections start at h2.